Parssinen Scores in NHL Debut as Preds Defeat Rangers, 2-1

It was a loud Saturday Night in Smashville as the Nashville Predators defeated the New York Rangers 2-1 at Bridgestone Arena.
In their first home game since Oct. 29, the Preds snapped a two-game losing streak, winning for the third time in their last five games.

THREE TAKEAWAYS

Welcome to the Show, Juuso
The Preds were outshot 11-4 in the first period but got one where it counted thanks to rookie call-up Juuso Parssinen, who scored his first NHL goal on his first NHL shot. Parssinen already looked like a veteran on just his second shift, holding off former No. 1 Draft pick Alexis Lafreniere and driving wide to the net to give the Preds an early 1-0 lead at 4:58 of the first period.

Parssinen is the fifth player in Predators history to score a goal for the team in his NHL debut. He's the first to do so since Miikka Salomaki on Jan. 8, 2015. Per NHL PR, he is the sixth skater of the past decade to score in his first career game after being selected in the seventh round (No. 210 in 2019).
Parssinen also led all Preds forwards in ice time Saturday, playing 17:49 in his NHL debut.
Jankowski Nets Another
Nashville's second goal came from another Milwaukee call-up in Mark Jankowski, who buried a feed from Roman Josi after the Rangers turned the puck over in their own zone at 8:37 of the second period.

"Not a lot of players on D can make that play, but [Josi] can obviously," Jankowski said. "So it was a great play by him. I was just trying to get open, find open space and he made a heck of a play just to get it to me. I was wide open."
Like Parssinen, Jankowski started the season in the AHL - and like Parssinen, he also scored in his Predators debut (Nov. 1 at Calgary). He has skated in every game for the Predators since being recalled during Nashville's five-game road trip, and Saturday was his first game - and win - at home.
The Big Kill
New York failed to score on a four-minute power play starting at 13:41 of the third period, when Jeremy Lauzon received a double-minor for high-sticking. Jaroslav Halak had to make an early save for New York as Michael McCarron crashed the net shorthanded. Then, with under a minute left in their power play, the Rangers pulled their netminder to go 6-on-4.
Even with Tanner Jeannot serving a five-minute fighting penalty and unavailable to help on the kill, the Preds managed to keep the score at 2-1 and seal the victory.

MORE GAME NOTES

• Dropping the Gloves:Both Lauzon and Jeannot received five-minute fighting majors. Lauzon dropped the gloves in the second period against Ryan Lindgren, while Jeannot answered the bell in the third against Ryan Reaves. Jeannot is now tied for the most major penalties in the NHL in 2022-23 with four.
• Juice is Loose:After allowing four goals and getting the hook in the first period of his last start at Seattle, Juuse Saros made 34 saves in net for the Preds against the Rangers.
• Fil & Granny Come Through: With the assists on Parssinen's goal, Filip Forsberg extended his team lead in points to 15 (5g-10a) and Mikael Granlund notched his 12th point (1g-11a) through 15 games. Granlund has produced at nearly a point-per-game pace vs. the Rangers in his career, recording 14 points (4g-10a) in 15 games, including six (3g-3a) in his last six games.

THEY SAID IT

Parssinen on his first NHL goal:
"[It was an] unreal feeling. I didn't expect to score on my first shot, but I'll take that every day. But the most important thing was that we got the win, so that's huge for us… The guys made a good play in our own zone and then I had good speed, so I just tried to jump their D. I had better speed than him and then just tried to put it in the net, and this time it went in."
Head Coach John Hynes on Parssinen's NHL debut:
"I think it was what we expected. I think that he's been a very consistent player and he came and played his game tonight. We all saw that he's got great speed and pace through his game. He's got good size, he's got the strength in the body to be able to play at this level. It was nice he scored early and you can see his power and speed but there's so many little things in the game that look good tonight. He was impressive in a lot of different areas. We put them out there when basically the goal was going to be pulled in. We had the icing and he had taken a key faceoff in that so it's always nice to see that's that's the style of player that he is and it's nice to see him be able to come in and impact the game the way that he did."
McDonagh on Parssinen's first NHL goal:
"You're obviously excited whenever anybody comes in and plays their first game. You remember your first game, the nerves, the excitement. It's a different journey for everybody to make it here but to start off the first game and score a goal like that, it's pretty impressive. He seemed pretty focused all morning and didn't seem too nervous and just kind of determined out there and you could tell by his goal, determined to bring it to the net and huge congrats to him."
Hynes on Saros:
"It was nice to see [Saros] to be able to have a game. I just thought he looked more like himself tonight. He looked confident in the net. I thought he read the play well, I thought he fought through traffic. He's always a guy that makes three or four unexpected saves in the game, but he looked quick, focused. I just liked his posture in the net and he looked much more like himself. I think it was a good step for him also to build upon."
Saros on the win:
"I really liked how we played. I think we're all committed to playing our game and every guy was paying attention to the details. Happy that Juuso (Parssinen) got to score in the first. It was a good start."

UP NEXT

The Predators are back in action on Tuesday, when they host the Minnesota Wild at 7 p.m. CT at Bridgestone Arena.